Northwest Fishing Reports

I caught a turtle once in a pond. It was pretty big, and bity. I've seen turtles running around sitting on logs and stuff. I know you can eat frogs and alligators, and I've had gator chile and it's delicious. Can you fish for turtles in washington, or am I just weird for thinking so.

Should be in the regs. I don't have time right now to look.

As a kid growing up in the midwest we used to fish for big snapping turtles every spring in the old river channels. Trotlines, or just a 2 gallon glass jug with cuttyhunk line and a chicken leg for bait. Toss it out, come back in a day or so, put the turtle in a big wash tub and haul it home. To clean it we'd dump it out on the grass, poke around its head with a broom handle, when the snapper latched onto the stick we'd pull the stick pack so its neck would stretch out and then whack its head off with an axe. To clean it we'd nail it, top of shell towards a tree, nails thru the feet, then use a hatchet to remove the bottom shell. Then the white and some dark meet was accessible and able to be removed. A lot of work but it was tasty eats.

There is nowhere in the fishing regs that covers the harvest of turtles. I do know that there are several native turtle species on the protected/threatened/endangered list so I'd think they would be off limits. On the other side of the equation, most non-native animal species are open for harvest/removal and typically no license is required. If you are truly interested in harvesting turtles, I suggest contacting your local WDFW office.

Never targeted them but they were a often a annoying bycatch when fishing for big mud cats in north carolina. We would get snapping and cudas. Not sure if cudas were the real name but thats what we called them. I was a kid and it was rough dealing with them so I would cut the line and retie. I do know snapping turtles stink extremely bad and have a attitude to match. Them snappers are mean!

I have been bit by one turtle in wa while bass fishing larson lake. It came off the hook though. I say ewww to eating them lol

wolverine- yikes that sounds a bit involved for my 8 year old to witness LOL.:pale: I see them all the time on logs at some lakes and they're probably non-native pet escapees. Would hate to have someone catch the endangered native types for food and not know though.

My wife has had turtle and said it is very good. I've never personally caught nor tasted turtle. Although if it was legal to catch/keep and I could figure out how to tell the invasive buggers from the fragile natives, I'd feel compelled to keep one if I caught it for the Mrs.
Let her deal with it while I take the daughter elsewhere LOL.
Axes? Nails? On a tree? Taking the shell off? Nope, not for me LOL. I'll stick with the salmon blood on the hands.
Interesting question for a topic. Wonder if we'll get a conclusive correct answer on retaining turtle.

Maybe turtles would be in the hunting regs. I don't have a copy of those.

Maybe ask the question in the 'Ask Stacey' thread.

Amx wrote:Maybe turtles would be in the hunting regs. I don't have a copy of those.

Maybe ask the question in the 'Ask Stacey' thread.

I agree with the "Ask Stacie".

I grew up in Southern Idaho, Southern Utah, and Arizona and never saw a turtle. Moved to, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and can't seem to get away from those buggers.

I have always wondered myself. Good topic.

Anglinarcher wrote:

Amx wrote:Maybe turtles would be in the hunting regs. I don't have a copy of those.

Maybe ask the question in the 'Ask Stacey' thread.

I agree with the "Ask Stacie".

I grew up in Southern Idaho, Southern Utah, and Arizona and never saw a turtle. Moved to, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and can't seem to get away from those buggers.

I have always wondered myself. Good topic.

What part of arizona did you live in ? I saw turtles all the time !
I've seen a few in this state.

I caught a 14 pound soft shelled turtle in Arizona, it ate my hotdog while fishiin' for cats !

They'll take a worm thats for sure. Landed two of those red-ear turtles soaking nightcrawlers under a bobber on local lakes. Never thought to eat em though...

I'm guessing that the Painted turtle is what you'll come across the most here. The state paid good money to raise Western Pond Turtles somewhere around Lyle. Be very careful identifying non native species. It's just the right thing to do.

I've had turtle soup, I loved it, tasted like kidney soup.

I bet turtles are tasty! I looked up a video showing how to clean them and it doesn't seem that bad. I've gutted rattle snakes, lizards, bunnies and other stuff, turtles don't seem that bad, just tough. apparently you just cut around their bottom shell with a sharp knife.

I wouldn't want to harvest a threatened native turtle, but I'm really curious. I tried to find it in the hunting regs but they are even messier than the fishing regs, so I'm not sure.

All along the shores of Lk Wa there are turtles. Most are about 4-8 " in diameter. Ive seen two dead ones that were had a good 12" shell. I heard their claws are worse then their bite.Ive not had turtle soup but I used to wear turtle necks.

Recreational harvesting

Many US state fish and game departments allow recreational taking of painted turtles with differing restrictions. Alabama allows a creel limit of ten, of each of the three subspecies (southern, midland, and eastern) found there, for personal use,[13] but also has a special license for commercial turtle catchers, dealers and farmers.[14] Virginia allows a creel limit of five with a fishing license.[15] Michigan allows open-season taking of one per day, for non-commercial use.[16] Pennsylvania allows one capture per day, from water, with a fishing license of each of the subspecies present there: eastern and midland.[17] New Hampshire confines taking to the summer.[18] Arizona allows taking four per year with a hunting license.[19]

Some localities completely protect the painted turtles. Oregon, where its western painted turtle populations are under pressure, forbids taking of any kind.[20] Missouri forbids the taking of either subspecies (western or southern) present there.[12] Also, in Canada, Ontario[21] and British Columbia[22] restrict any taking of painted turtles.

Fish_Bait111397 wrote:

Anglinarcher wrote:

Amx wrote:Maybe turtles would be in the hunting regs. I don't have a copy of those.

Maybe ask the question in the 'Ask Stacey' thread.

I agree with the "Ask Stacie".

I grew up in Southern Idaho, Southern Utah, and Arizona and never saw a turtle. Moved to, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and can't seem to get away from those buggers.

I have always wondered myself. Good topic.

What part of arizona did you live in ? I saw turtles all the time !
I've seen a few in this state.

I caught a 14 pound soft shelled turtle in Arizona, it ate my hotdog while fishiin' for cats !

Page AZ as a kid, Phoenix as a slightly older kid. Did most of our fishing up the Salt River at Roosevelt, some at Barker, Seldom at Canyon.

There are three species of freshwater turtles around here: Painted turtles, Red-eared sliders, and Western Pond turtles. Snapping turtles have also been found in the past.
Western Pond turtles are native to this area and are a species of concern.
I don't know if the others would be open to harvest, I don't see why not. You should be able to identify the species if you are going to harvest them though.
They may not have much meat unless you get a large one. A larger turtle has lived many years, and has eaten alot of stuff. I don't know if they are all that healthy to eat, around here atleast.

LOL, just saw this article in today's paper.
Western pond turtles


Here is something that has interesting info too.
Washington Herp Atlas (look under reptiles)

I don`t think the turtles around here are big enough to eat even if there was a season. back home in Louisiana snapping turtles are everywhere and we would catch clean and eat them. Yes they are very good. Turtle soup or throw them in a gumbo or make a brown gravy and have it over rice. The only trouble is if they bite you your gonna be missing a limb. Like wolverine said the only way to kill one is to stick a screw driver in it`s mouth so it will bite it then cut the head off. Well worth it as one turtle can weigh 10 to 15 lbs. Us cajuns have a saying that as long as the ditch in front of the house has water will never go hungry.:dwarf:

I have yet to see a turtle since I moved here. Back in MI we had painted and snappers. No one there would even consider a painted worth eating, but people would go after the snappers since they were much larger. I never did it myself since they are mean, but I heard they tasted like (and excuse the bad stereotype) fishy chicken. Not real bad, but not real good either.

oh i dont know about this eating turtles, they just seem way to cool to wanna eat one.